used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
acidadjectiveUS /ˈæsəd/
harsh or corrosive in tone
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
battalionsnounUS /bəˈtæljənz/
plural of “battalion” — an army unit usually consisting of a headquarters and three or more companies
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
BeautiesnounUS /ˈbjuːtiz/
plural of “beauty” — the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
commencedverbUS /kəˈmenst/
past form of “commence” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
confoundedadjectiveUS /kənˈfaʊndɪd/
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
consumedly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
cuttingnounUS /ˈkʌtɪŋ/
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
floatedverbUS /ˈfloʊtəd/
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
hazyadjectiveUS /ˈheɪzi/
filled or abounding with fog or mist
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
jokesnounUS /dʒoʊks/
plural of “joke” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The patter of many voices sounded in his ears.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
a particular point in time
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
newlyadverbUS /ˈnuːli/
very recently
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
obviouslyadverbUS /ˈɑːbviəsli/
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
on one occasion
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
patternounUS /ˈpætər/
plausible glib talk (especially useful to a salesperson)
From this reading The patter of many voices sounded in his ears.
prussic
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
recurringadjectiveUS /rɪˈkɜːrɪŋ/
coming back
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
the state of being held in high esteem and honor
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
scaldedverbUS /ˈskɔːldɪd/
past form of “scald” — subject to harsh criticism
From this reading His ears felt as if they had been newly scalded, and objects floated in hazy confusion before his eyes.
Shaksperenoun
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
sippingverbUS /ˈsɪpɪŋ/
inflected form of “sip” — drink in sips
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
Slap'emup
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
sorrowsnounUS /ˈsɑːroʊz/
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading The patter of many voices sounded in his ears.
spiesnounUS /spaɪz/
plural of “spy” — (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The patter of many voices sounded in his ears.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
at the time that
From this reading "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions," thought he, recurring once more to the Beauties of Shakspere.
wishingnounUS /ˈwɪʃɪŋ/
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading They must be talking of him, "for they laughed consumedly;" and that confounded Slap'emup was obviously getting up a reputation for wit by cutting minute jokes at his expense.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He commenced sipping his tea with desperate energy, wishing for a moment that it had been so much prussic acid.
